Rice farmers in the Ahero Irrigation Scheme are stuck with 10,000 bags of paddy rice due to lack of market.
The rice is from last season.
Rice farmers group chairman Emmanuel Juma said they are contemplating diversifying to other crops due to the market challenges they are facing.
Juma said they have not sold rice since August last year and their stores are full.
He said the National Irrigation Authority in Ahero has continued to put in place infrastructure to allow for more farming of rice.
Juma predicted they will harvest more rice since NIA had expanded the scheme.
Speaking to the press in Nyando subcounty, Juma appealed to the county government to help farmers market their produce.
He also asked for the revival of farmers cooperative and marketing societies which used to help farmers in the past.
Western Regional Irrigation Schemes manager Joel Tanui said the directive that was issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta last year for the purchase of rice from farmers suffered for lack of space to store the produce.
Tanui said the Kenya National Trading Corporation was mandated to buy rice from farmers but this stopped sometimes early this year for lack of space.
"Unfortunately from January of this year to date, they have not been able to purchase from the locals farmers because they have challenges of having their stores filled to capacity," he said.
Peter Rachuonyo, chairman of an ad hoc marketing committee formed recently, said it is not the responsibility of NIA to look for market for the rice since their work stops at the farm after availing infrastructure.
He said the county government should be in the forefront to assist farmers to have access to market to enable them take their children to school and repay loans.
"We have received cries from various farmers with some saying they leased the lands to plant, others have loans and school fees to pay hence they urgently need help."
